by Joann Villanueva/PNA
The construction of the New Centennial Water Source – Kaliwa Dam project is expected to be fast-tracked now that the eastern part of Metro Manila is experiencing a water crisis.
“Absolutely. In fact, had this been done before, the water crisis will be much less serious or much less of a threat,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said in a briefing Wednesday.
Manila Water, which caters to the cities of Pasig and Mandaluyong, among others, earlier said some 52,000 households currently do not have water supply as water level at the La Mesa Dam, an emergency water source, fell due to low supply and increased demand.
Dominguez said the process of bidding out and awarding the PHP18.724-billion dam in Quezon province “is well on its way.”
“I’m sure the MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) will urge their contractors to move faster than originally planned,” he added.
The Department of Finance (DOF) earlier said officials of the Philippines and China exchanged documents on the USD211.21 million loan and guarantee agreements for the dam project.
According to the MWSS website, the project will be a new water source for Metro Manila’s domestic water supply.
The project will be constructed in the village of Pagsangahan in General Nakar and the village of Magsaysay in Infanta, both in Quezon province.
